When I first read the following headline in today’s Bellingham Herald, I thought: Awesome! Washington State’s got my back!
After all, I have a 12-year old son…a 12-year old who happened to be born on Halloween! He was predisposed to like candy! Now I can say, “Sorry son, candy has become too expensive.” (Oh, he’ll be pissed, but at least I won’t be lying.)
As I read on, it got a bit iffy:
When it comes to candy, Washington will soon be a state of the taxed and taxed-nots. Come June 1, the state will begin adding sales tax onto the price of gum and most – but not all – candy products.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you need a spreadsheet to figure out whether your favorite goodie is about to get more expensive.
For example, Three Musketeers will be taxed but Milky Way will not.
Starburst, Gummi Bears and M&Ms? Yes. Nestle’s Crunch and Twizzlers? No.
Now THAT could be tricky, but I could just upload the spreadsheet to my iPod Touch and carry it around with me.
Anyway, reading further on, I see that not only is Washington State looking out for my son, but they care about my wife as well.
What’s the difference? Basically, flour. If the candy you like is prepared with flour it will not be subject to sales tax.
Candy subject to the tax can be made with “sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings and formed into bars, drops, or pieces,” according to information from the Department of Revenue.
Any product that lists flour as an ingredient on the nutritional facts label is not taxable as candy, the agency points out. Flour is “made from grain such as wheat, rice, corn, rye, oats, and barley.”
You see, my wife has a gluten intolerance, gluten is commonly found in flour, and so she’ll have one more deterrent to keep her from eating something that she loves, but can’t tolerate.
Um…wait a minute…nevermind.
Who am I kidding, the tax will not make my son want candy less, and it’s only a matter of time until the candy makers start adding flour to all of their candy to avoid the tax.
when candy is outlawed, only outlaws will have candy. and they’ll be peddling it around like a bicycle. you could be the al capone of sugarfied treats…
A candy bootlegger? Hmmmmm.
You know, like every parent, I periodically ask my son what he thinks he might like to be when he grows up. Up until now, he hasn’t had an answer, but I think that candy bootlegger could finally inspire him.